Hair curling comb device

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a comb that can be produced inexpensively of any material conventionally used to make combs and used by almost anyone in a manual application. It includes curved or angular teeth placed perpendicular to a cylindrical handle. It can be drawn through a lock of hair to create a ringlet curl that hangs free from the scalp. It may optionally include a second row of teeth, or an individual tooth, that incorporate additional strands of hair into the curl as the user desires. The teeth may also be placed in a helical path around the handle. The comb may include an extension that smoothes hair over the curved teeth. It does not require a motor or heating element, although it may be adapted to use with either or both as an accessory to a hand-held hairdryer or curling iron.  
     In operation one uses the comb to dress wet or dry hair. The first row of curved teeth is applied to the hair at the root, and drawn through the hair with a rotating motion that is consistent with the direction of the curve of the comb&#39;s teeth resulting in a ringlet curl that hangs free from the head.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] Not applicable for this application.

BACKGROUND

[0002] 1. Field of Invention

[0003] This invention relates to hair dressing, specifically, to combs which are used for dressing curly hair.

[0004] 2. Description of Prior Art

[0005] Hair must be combed to be properly groomed. However, traditional, straight-toothed combs pull hair into a straight line that removes curl and separates curly or curled hair into such small segments of strands that natural or natural-looking curls are destroyed. This invention combs hair into curls by use of curved or angular teeth that are set perpendicularly to a handle. Additional optional features include auxiliary teeth for adding strands to the original lock being combed if the user so desires, and an optional extension of a smoothing pin that is attached parallel to the handle and smoothes hair across the curved teeth.

[0006] The prior art in this field includes combs with straight teeth that are used to groom hair. Some of these examples include a single curved tooth for separating segments of hair in preparation for other dressing activities. Some examples include a pin, finger or other extension for smoothing hair over the straight teeth for distributing coloring agents evenly. These combs are not for curling hair, and effectively straighten hair by pulling curls straight. There are combs for securing hair to the head in a bun or twist that have curved teeth for securing locks to the scalp, but not for curling or combing hair. There are hair twisting devices that implement straight-toothed combs or clamping devices to wrap strands of hair around one another, preventing locks of hair from hanging free of the scalp and of one another. These are typically motorized, or include a heating element.

[0007] Straight teeth. U.S. Pat. No. 2,333,325 is a coil that is attached to the back of a straight-tooth comb. U.S. Pat. No. 3,386,453 is a teasing device that uses rows of straight teeth in a rotary fashion. U.S. Pat. No. 3,529,609 has two wide spaced straight teeth for teasing hair. U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,307 has wide spaced straight teeth that do not curl hair. U.S. Pat. No. 5,091,630 is an adapter sleeve for a hand held dryer that uses rows of straight teeth. U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,017 is a comb for the formation of braids using straight teeth. In each case, the comb uses straight teeth, which pull the curl from hair.

[0008] Single curved tooth. U.S. Pat. No. 2,616,435 uses a single hooked tooth and a rat-tail handle to separate segments of hair for dressing. U.S. Pat. No. 3,042,048 has a curved handle on a straight-tooth comb that can be used to separate segments of hair that can be curled or straightened. These combs have a single curved tooth that cannot be used to comb entire locks of hair.

[0009] Finger. Pin. Smoothing Extension. U.S. Pat. No. 2,005,187 uses straight teeth set on a curved bar with a clamp to force hair across the teeth. U.S. Pat. No. 2,288,156 includes an elongated smoothing pin that is used to stroke hair while hair dressing with a straight-tooth comb. U.S. Pat. No. 3,368,569 has an extension that draws hair across a row of straight teeth. U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,186 has an extending pin that draws hair across straight teeth. U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,572 uses a heated cylinder with a clamp to curl hair. In these instances, a clamp or pin is used to push hair into straight teeth.

[0010] Secure to head. U.S. Pat. No. 2,299,770 uses bent teeth in a comb to secure hair to the head. U.S. Pat. No. 2,446,781 has teeth with convex and concave side edges for securing hair to the head. U.S. Pat. No. 3,292,641 uses straight teeth to secure hair to head while creating a straightened hairdo. U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,215 uses straight teeth to secure hair to head with detachable decoration. U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,589 is a method of securing hair to the head in a twist. U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,058 is a device for coiling the hair as a single unit and securing it to the head. These devices do not allow curls to hang freely from the scalp.

[0011] Twisting, Teasing, and Rotating. U.S. Pat. No. 3,750,680 is a teasing comb with curved teeth used to separate strands of hair from one another in the direction of the scalp, with symmetrically arranged rows of teeth projecting radially from the handle. U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,652 is an electrically driven heated device that implements traditional straight-toothed comb attachment in a rotating fashion. U.S. Pat. No. 3,892,246 is a process for setting curly hair in a type of hairdo where the hair stands relatively straight out from the head, and includes a straight toothed comb with elongated teeth. U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,035 is a motorized apparatus for spirally winding hair with a spool rotating disk. U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,847 uses two parallel bars to twist hair into loops of rope-like axially twisted hair that are secured to the scalp. U.S. Pat. No. 5,191,907 is a motorized curling device with straight teeth that extend vertically from a cylindrical base and rotate but cannot be used manually. U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,759 is a toy hair wrapping device that includes a spindle, spool, and rotating handle. U.S. Pat. No. 57,725,000 is a motorized hair twisting device with straight teeth configured in a circular pattern that twists a single cowl of hair rather than individual curls. U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,275 is a hair twisting device that grasps two wisps of hair and twists them around one another using a motorized device. U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,963 is a hair twisting device for use by children to twist doll hair by twisting strands of hair around one another. Twisting hair forces strands to be held together wrapped around one another rather than hanging freely from one another in a ringlet curl.

SUMMARY

[0012] Objects and Advantages.

[0013] The present invention is a comb that can be produced inexpensively of any sturdy, flexible material, such as rubber or plastic, or any other materials conventionally used in combs or hairdressing devices. As such, it does not require a motorized device in order to be used and can be used by almost anyone in a manual application.

[0014] It has curved or angular teeth placed perpendicular to a handle that can be drawn through a lock of hair to create a ringlet curl that hangs free from the scalp. It does not twist the hair or require that the hair be secured to the scalp after grooming. It may optionally include a second row of teeth, or individual teeth placed in a helical path around the handle, that incorporate additional strands of hair into the curl as the user desires. It may optionally include an extension that smoothes hair over the curved teeth. It does not require a motor or heating element, although it could be adapted to use with either or both of these as an accessory to a hand-held hairdryer or curling iron.

DRAWING FIGURES

[0015]FIGS. 1 and 2 show different aspects of a comb with two rows of curved teeth and an extension that smoothes hair across the curved teeth.

[0016]FIG. 3 shows a similar comb with angular teeth with a single bend.

[0017]FIGS. 4A and 4B show top views of the handle with angular and curved teeth and a top view of the smoothing pin.

[0018]FIG. 5 shows a comb with teeth placed in a helical path.

DESCRIPTIONS FIGS. 1, 2, AND 4B—PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0019] A preferred embodiment of the present comb is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The comb has a cylindrical handle (5) that extends above and below the rows of curved teeth (1) and (3). Row (1) begins the ringlet and row (3) incorporates additional locks of hair into the ringlet. The smoothing pin (9) aids in drawing hair across the curved teeth of (1) and (3). In the preferred embodiment, the handle, teeth and pin are made of any material suitable for making combs. In an alternative embodiment, these elements could be made from materials suitable for an accessory for a hand-held hair dryer or curling iron.

[0020]FIGS. 3 and 4A—Additional Embodiments

[0021] An additional embodiment of the present comb is illustrated in FIG. 3, where the teeth of the comb are formed with a single angular bends. Teeth could have more than a single bend.

[0022]FIG. 5—Alternative Embodiments

[0023] An alternative embodiment of the present comb is illustrated in FIG. 5, where the teeth are set in a helical path around the cylindrical handle.

[0024] Operation—FIGS. 1 to 5

[0025] In operation one uses the comb to dress wet or dry hair. The manner of using the comb is to place the upper row of curved teeth against the scalp and to draw it through the hair in a rotating fashion (e.g., clockwise) consistent with the direction of the teeth. As the comb is drawn from the roots of the hair to the ends of the hair, the second row of teeth can be used to incorporate additional locks of hair into the ringlet being formed. In effect, the curved teeth serve to remove tangles and groom the hair while forming a ringlet around the cylindrical handle. The smoothing pin coaxes the hair across the rows of teeth as it draws the hair close to the handle. As the comb reaches the ends of the hair, the cylinder above the upper row of teeth is drawn out of the hair, leaving the hair hanging free from the scalp in a formed ringlet.

[0026] Advantages

[0027] A number of advantages are evident in this design. The teeth of this comb are curved and do not pull hair straight. There are multiple teeth in each row, so it does not merely separate a section of hair from the scalp as do combs with a single curved tooth. The smoothing pin coaxes hair across curved teeth to aid in forming a ringlet without clamping or straightening the hair. The comb allows the hair to hang free from the scalp in a natural style, and does not secure the hair to the scalp or to other pieces of hair. The comb draws the hair away from the scalp and around the cylindrical handle to avoid teasing and tangling, and does not twist one piece of hair around another.

[0028] The comb can be adapted to a number of desirable uses. For example, the diameter and length of the handle can be adapted to change the size of the curl. The teeth of the comb can be spaced at varying widths to accommodate larger sections of hair. The curve or angle of the teeth can be varied to change the size of the curl. The length of the teeth can be short or long by user preference. The rows of teeth can be single, double, or multiple. The rows and teeth can be spaced around the diameter of the cylindrical handle at a variety of angles to one another, including in helical path design.

[0029] Further adaptations include: setting the teeth into a rotating head that is produced separately and attached to the handle in a manner than allows it to rotate independently of the handle; producing the handle and rows of teeth separately and attaching to one another in a manner that allows the teeth to be moved from one end of the handle to the other end of the handle, or to be permanently attached, as desired. Finally, the comb can also be made of materials suitable for use with a heating element so that it can be attached to a hand-held hair dryer or curling iron.

[0030] Conclustion, Ramifications, and Scope

[0031] The reader will see that this comb provides an economical, manual means of grooming hair that creates and enhances curliness in the hair by drawing the hair through curved teeth in a rotating manner. Unlike conventional combs, it does not straighten hair in the process of grooming. It can be adapted to a variety of curved or bent teeth positioned in several positions around the handle. The handle itself can be made to varying widths to accommodate desired curl sizes for different hair styles. The comb can be made in a variety of materials that are conventionally used to make combs, and can be adapted to materials that are suitable for an accessory to a hand-held hair dryer or curling iron.

[0032] While my description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of one preferred embodiment thereof Many other variations are possible. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not the embodiment(s) illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

[0033] A device made of lightweight material such as plastic or rubber or other material suitable for combs for grooming hair that creates or enhances curls comprising: 

1) A comb for grooming hair said comb having a substantially cylindrical handle with at least one row of teeth carried by said handle. 2) The comb of claim 1) wherein said teeth are curved. 3) The comb of claim 1) wherein said teeth are in a straight line. 4) The comb of claim 1) wherein said teeth are arranged substantially along a helical path around said cylindrical handle. 5) The comb of claim 1) wherein there are two or more rows of teeth carried by said handle. 6) The comb of claim 1) wherein said teeth have a substantially right angle bend. 7) The comb of claim 1) wherein said teeth have one or more bends. 8) The comb of claim 1) with a pin for smoothing hair across said teeth. 9) The comb of claim 1) with narrowly spaced teeth. 10) The comb of claim 1) with widely spaced teeth. 